ϟ—Prologue — The Nibi—ϟ

The woman ran through the moonlit forest. Her long blonde hair was stained blood-red as her fair-skinned face was blemished with cuts and bruises all over. She brought her arm to her bloodied chest while the other one flopped beside her.

"She's over there!" a man yelled.

She sucked her teeth as she attempted to pick up the pace but to little avail. The trees' black silhouettes were a blur as she felt her thundering heart in her ears. Her muscles and wounds begged her to rest, and every breath was torturous. The whistling world around her started becoming clearer, and her speed lagged.

No! She grimaced and willed herself to move faster again. Her legs shook with every step she took, her muscles rebelled; they were unwilling to move anymore… as much as the woman wanted them to.

She grunted as she felt a burning sensation in her back, followed by a wave of aching as she collapsed to the floor. Each breath heaved, her vision blurred, and her back dripped with blood.

"Don't kill her!" a man yelled. "We need that beast inside her."

The woman strained to get up. She gritted her one working arm against the dirt before it was stomped on by a different man. "Where do you think you're going, Nibi?"

"I am not the Nibi. My name is Yugito Nii, a proud Kumo Kunoichi—"

The other man kicked her face. "As far as we're concerned, you are the Nibi."

Yugito's vision refocused as she stared into the piercing blue eyes of the man in front of her. The full moon's light illuminated silky silver hair that fell down his fair-skinned forehead, marked by two red dots staring down at her like a second pair of eyes.

She caught a glance at the headband hanging around his neck. It was a stark silver, easily visible in the moonlight. It had three gritted, diagonal slashes in its center.

Dokutsu…? Yugito thought before attempting to glare at him, but her vision failed once again as the silhouette of the other man came into view, and she went unconscious…

Almost instantly, she awoke once again; however, her environment was vastly different than what she expected.

Yugito sat up. My body… it's completely unharmed, she mused inwardly as she looked around. She gazed upon the endless expanse of shallow water, shadowed black by the endless, featureless void above her.

There was only one feature of note, a massive cage shrouded in searing fog. It radiated a cobalt blue shine, like a star which was mere meters away from her. Yugito sighed and got up fully. She walked towards the cage, pushing against wave after wave of heat to reach the center. The closer she got, the shallower the water became, and the more it boiled.

Eventually, she reached the center of the fog, stiffening at the sight behind the cage. A massive feline sat like a sphinx directly behind the cage's bars. Its ethereal cobalt blue fur of flames rose and fell at the rhythm of the beast's breath.

Yugito trembled as the feline's face moved closer to hers. Its heterochromatic green and yellow eyes looked stoically down at her, each of which was the size of Yugito herself.

Yugito stammered. "Hello, Nibi."

"Hello, Yugito," the Nibi responded with a voice of a Goddess. An entity so ancient, so powerful, it was beyond comprehension. "What brings you here today?"

"I… was just knocked unconscious," Yugito trembled, bowing her head. It was both a sign of respect, and a way to advert her gaze from the Bijuu.

"What are you implying?" the Nibi asked, a growl gritted the sound of its voice. Its coat of flames intensified, the surrounding water simmered and popped like hot oil.

Yugito shook, her legs were reduced to jelly as she struggled to stand in the Nibi's presence. Sweat ran down her face like scared children as she fiddled her pants with her fingers.

"I-I need chakra, so I—we can live," Yugito stammered.

The Nibi calmed its flames, and the water fell. "Very well," it complied, before the entire sea around them vaporized. It was replaced by an ocean of roaring, cobalt blue flames. Yugito cried out in searing agony as she was enveloped by the fire. Her skin popped and cracked under the hellish heat.

The Nibi's body disappeared into the sea of flames, leaving an ethereal feline face floating in the fire. Its pink lips were pulled back to reveal bone-white, predatory teeth with elongated fangs. It roared, and the inferno followed suit, completely clouding Yugito's vision as she was reduced to ashes.

Yugito's eyes shot open, glowing the same color as the Nibi's. She erupted with blue flames. The rope that confined her limbs was reduced to ashes as she grew foot-long claws, and slashed at the nearest presence she felt.

Her claws sunk into an arm, cutting through inches of flesh before halting starkly against bone. Yugito gracefully leapt into the air, avoiding a projectile barrage.

"Fire Style: Roaring Cat Bowl!" Yugito rotated. The blue flames around her followed suit and created a torrenting tornado of blue fire that lit up the nighttime forest and blew back the shinobi around her.

The flames dissipated to reveal Yugito on all fours in a predator's stance. The inferno that enveloped her body burned and danced in the shape of a one-tailed feline. Her fangs extended past her lips as she growled, her bloodstained claws of ivory white dug into the ashen dirt.

Yugito's eyes shone, black flames danced across her face with feline features as she charged forward. She struck at the gray-haired man with her claws. He stopped it with an outcropping of bone from his arm.

Yugito's claws shattered.

Blood flew from her broken claws and she hissed. Yugito quickly grew them back and slashed, summoning a wave of blue fire from them. She attempted to retreat, but a blunt force pummeled her to the dirt.

The other man ripped a sharpened tanto of bone from his forearm and stabbed at her. She rolled away, only to be interrupted by a similar bony weapon from the gray-haired man. Yugito growled as her hand was pinned to the ground by a sharpened bone.

Both men reached into their ribs and pulled out a bony club adorned with spikes, and hung them over their heads. Yugito hissed as she yanked her hand out of the sharpened bone, leaving it split in half and spewing blood.

The flames around Yugito's hand intensified as she cauterized the wound and spun makeshift stitches of fire, knitting her hand back together. As she concluded healing, the men charged at her once again.

She leapt back and weaved hand seals. "Fire Style: Feline Torrent!" she spat before the forest was lit up once again by Nibi flame. The blast Yugito blew from her mouth took the shape of a charging cat and pounced on the two men, who shielded themselves with bone.

Yugito weaved another set of hand seals and slammed her hands on the ground. "Fire Style: Forest Fire!"

The entire forest hissed and cracked as wave after wave of cobalt blue flames blew through the forest like a shockwave. It was ablaze dozens of times over by the time she finished. Yugito roared as her claws grew even longer and she followed her Feline Torrent into battle against the bone users.

She leapt onto the gray-haired man and ignited her claws. They flickered with blue flame as she swiped at his protruding bone. Her claws shattered again. She hissed and sparked her undamaged claws with lightning.

They made contact and claws remained intact, but she didn't damage the bone any more than she had before. Yugito glared at the man and sent plumes of flame into his armor. The man cried as he sent countless bony spikes at her, pushing her into the ground.

He glared at Yugito and he crossed his hands in front of him; he whipped them to his side as his body glowed as green as a daytime forest. "Enough with you, Nibi! Third Gate of Life… OPEN!" he shouted as his aura blasted back the surrounding flames. He dug his feet into the ashen dirt and charged.

Before Yugito could react, she had a fist in her gut and she flew back. She looked up to see the man launching his bony fist into her face. Yugito didn't even have the opportunity to scream before her entire skull was caved in. Shards of bone stuck out of her mauled skin as the back of her head slammed into the dirt.

The man scoffed as he pushed down on Yugito's face. "It's a shame we need you alive."

The roaring of the Feline Torrent ceased as footsteps approached. Yugito groaned in a sorry attempt to scream as her cloak of flames blazed; but the man blocked the onslaught of flames with his bones. The other man stomped on her chest with a foot of protruding bones.

Yugito attempted to cry, shriek, something… but nothing except muted groans came from her as she was relentlessly beaten by the two men. Yugito clenched her clawed fists and made a single half seal with both of them.

What do you think you're doing?! The Nibi shouted in Yugito's head.

Yugito chuckled inwardly. Letting you go.

Why?!

Yugito continued chuckling. I know you'd much rather be out there than in here, Nibi. Also, I need to make sure that you remain in the Land of Lightning so Kumo can regain control over your power.

I see… the Nibi muttered. So you just want me to get sealed again? I should've known.

Yugito's mauled face managed a weak smile as the flames intensified. The seal on her stomach lit up and burned.

"What the hell is going on?!" the other man shouted.

The gray-haired man's eyes widened. "She's releasing the Nibi! We need to leave!"

"A-alright!" the other man shouted as he took the gray-haired man's hand; the two rushed as far as possible from the area.

Yugito's body was quickly reduced to ashes as all the flames in the area congregated over to her former location in a cobalt blue ball inferno. The trees in the area were nothing but smoke and ash. Any life in the vicinity was vaporized. The inferno grew in size until any trees that managed to survive looked like mere ants in its presence.

Once the blaze stopped growing, it took shape. The cobalt blue took the shape of a massive two-tailed feline with pink lips that bore ivory white teeth with fangs twice the length of its other teeth.

It growled as black flames danced upon the blue, giving birth to black swirls of fire that all congregated on the belly of the beast, filling it up with black until its bottom was a sea of obsidian black that contested against the cobalt blue.

The black flames continued to whirl, dancing down the legs of the feline, forming black claws that dug into the ashen ground. As the black flames concluded their dance and the blue flames calmed, there stood… The Nibi. Its two flaming tails elegantly swayed back and forth as the Nibi's paws dug into the ash and soot beneath it.

The Nibi pulled back its lips and roared, shaking the land for miles. The birds fled from the trees as they collapsed under the pressure of the beast's bellow. It slowly decreased the volume of the outburst as it closed his mouth. It took a series of deep breaths. The flames rose with every inhale and fell with every exhale.

Suddenly, it froze; The Nibi's body was deathly still as the only movement came from the dance of its flaming coat of fire. Its eyes shot open as it pounced forward, bolting through the starlit sky, leaving footsteps of ash in its wake as it ran. Where to…?

Only it knew.

⁑ —ϟ— ⁑

A woman lay awake in her bed, her sclera as red as her hair. She glared out into the morning sky; the sun dyed the sky an amber similar in color to her irises. She shut her eyes and brought her fair-skinned hands over her ears to block out the wailing that came from the crib across her room.

She took a deep breath as she forced herself up. She pushed her curly, crimson hair out of her face as she gazed upon the crib with an exasperated expression. "Ka'rai, can mama sleep please?"

Her pleads were met by infantile cries and screams from Ka'rai. Tears flooded down his dark-skinned face as his crimson hair jumped up and down as he did, shaking his crib in the process.

The woman pouted as she got up to tend to her child. She picked him up and cradled him against her chest. Ka'rai's wails eventually died down as he fell back asleep in his mother's embrace.

"Is attention all you want?" she mused as she placed Ka'rai back into his crib. She started to walk away, before she heard his cries once again, alongside the rocking of the crib.

She looked back at him, pleading clear in her eyes. Ka'rai ignored them and continued to scream. "I guess I have my answer…" she mumbled as she picked Ka'rai up and brought him to her bed.

As both she and her son drifted off to sleep, there was a knock at the door. She groaned as she picked up Ka'rai and went to look through the peephole of her door. ANBU…? she thought, before pulling a kunai knife out of a small cloud of smoke from her wrist.

She put Ka'rai back down on her bed, much to his dismay. The woman opened the door. "Yes…?"

"Lord Raikage requests your presence. The situation is urgent, ma'am," the ANBU said, before disappearing in a flicker of electricity.

She put her kunai away and quickly got dressed. Putting on a black mesh jumpsuit, a red and white one-sleeved vest, and pulled a pair of white cargo pants over the jumpsuit's legs; concluding her outfit with a black headband, adorned with a metal sheet with three circular clouds carved into it.

The woman picked up Ka'rai, locked her door, and disappeared in a flicker of electricity. Soon after, she appeared in front of a colorful building, with crowds of parents and children surrounding it.

"Arasei!" a blonde woman cheered as she came over.

Arasei looked at the woman and smiled. "Hikari! I'm here to drop off Ka'rai."

"Another mission?" she asked as Arasei handed over a fussy Ka'rai.

She nodded. "Yeah, apparently it's urgent; so, I have to go, sorry."

"Oh no, it's all right! Bye Arasei!" Hikari cheered, waving at her as she disappeared in another lightning flicker.

Arasei soon appeared in front of another building. It was a massive structure that jutted out of a large maroon mountain. The blue sky around the building was obscured by a white haze that not only surrounded the mountain, but the entire village it was a part of.

The building itself was round, with yellow umbrella-shaped roofs hanging over a massive window; which had a massive spotlight with the kanji for 'Lightning' in black against the white light.

I never fail to be intimidated every time I walk in front of the Raikage's office. She chuckled as she jogged to the entrance of the office and up the massive flight of stairs that lead to the top floor.

Once she reached the top floor, she was faced with a door that was nearly three times her height. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door—

"Come in!" a deep, angry voice shouted.

Arasei froze before taking another deep breath and opening the door. Her eyes widened as she saw who was in the room. Lord Bee?! Lord Darui?! Lady Chinoike?! What the hell is going on?!

"Yo, Uzumaki-san! What's up!" said a dark-skinned, muscular man with slicked-back blond hair and shades.

Another man stood at his desk. Thunder popped from his muscular, dark-skinned hands gripped at the wood as his white cloak—trimmed with gold—and blond hair flapped under the pressure of his chakra. "It's about time you came."

"A-am I late, Lord Raikage?" Arasei stammered, bowing to her knees.

The Raikage shook his head. "No, but I would've greatly preferred it if you came early."

"Cut her some slack, fool ya fool!" one of the men rapped.

The Raikage shook his head. "Shut up, Bee! Now is not the time for this!"

"No disrespect, Lord Raikage… but it would be wise if we picked up the pace," said a dark man with shaggy blonde hair.

A pale woman with white hair and bloodshot eyes nodded. "Yes, time is fleeting, Lord Raikage.

The Raikage sighed. "Arasei… you, Bee, Darui, and Machia will be going on a mission to retrieve the Nibi."

Arasei drew in a sharp breath.

"Yugito fell in combat and sacrificed her life in order to keep the Nibi in Kumo's control. We must not allow her sacrifice to be in vain, and we must capture the Nibi before it regains its true strength," the Raikage explained sternly. "But just as importantly… we need a new jinchuriki."

A sharp pain jolted through Arasei's heart before it dropped to her stomach. No, no, no, no, no, no. Not again. Not again. Not Again. Not—

"ARASEI!" the Raikage shouted.

She snapped back to reality, panting and in a cold sweat. "I-I'm so sorry; c-could you repeat what you said please?"

"I said… that your son, Ka'rai, will be the next jinchuriki of the Nibi," the Raikage chafed.

Arasei nodded shakily. "I-I see…" she stammered. At least I didn't choose this time… not like the end result would've been any different.

"Are you okay?"

Arasei stiffened at the sudden icy hand placed on her shoulder. "Yes… Lady Chinokie."

"...Are you sure? You're shaking… and sweating," she said in a soft, yet cold tone.

Arasei took a deep breath. "Yes, I am fine, Lady Chinoike."

"If you say so," Machia said, slowly removing her hand from Arasei's shoulder.

The Raikage cleared his throat. "Any questions?"

The room was silent.

"Good, now go!"

The Kumo Shinobi nodded and disappeared from the office in flickers of lightning.

⁑ —ϟ— ⁑

The squad of Kumo ninja leapt through the foggy mountains of the Land of Lightning. Machia's bloodshot eyes encompassed a bloody-violet iris that held a rectangular, neon purple pupil. She used her abstract eyes to track massive pits of ash, each of which was in the shape of a feline paw.

"Lord Bee, can the Hachibi sense the Nibi?" Darui asked.

Bee shook his head. "Nah, the Nibi keeps its presence hidden."

"Don't worry, my eyes will find it soon enough," Machia said.

Arasei pursed her lips. She lingered at the back of the group, watching their backs aimlessly as she fiddled with a shuriken in her hand. They traveled for hours, following paw prints of smoking ash for miles. Eventually, dusk set in… and little progress was made.

"Dammit, yo!" Bee cursed.

Darui sighed. "Patience, Lord Bee."

"No need, we're close…" Machia said ominously.

Arasei tensed. "How close…?"

Suddenly, the mountains quaked. Rocks collapsed from their summit. The orange fog blued. The roar of an inferno neared the group.

Darui grabbed a cleaver from his back, and black lightning arced over the blade as he tensed. Three giant, purple tentacles grew from Bee's back; they slammed on the ground as he transformed his hand into a fist of tentacles. Arasei pulled out a kunai and summoned four adamantine-gold chains from her back; her hand trembled as the heat of the blue glow approached.

Machia's eyes glowed as she blitzed through a series of hand seals, and yelled, "Blood Style: Sea of Blood!" A massive volume of blood burst from Machia's hands and flooded the mountains with dozens of tons of blood. She weaved through another set of hand seals and yelled, "Blood Style: Blood Dragons!"

Three pillars shot up from the sea of blood; they circled Machia and took the form of three serpentine dragons and shot toward the blue glow. They made contact, and the sound of liquid vaporizing seared through the mountains…

Then, quiet.

Arasei stiffined. Please…

A feline screech pierced the ears of the Kumo shinobi. They leapt back as five slashes appeared on the mountain in front of the blue glow. The mountain slid apart into five melting slabs of rock.

As the mountain fell apart, the Nibi was revealed huffing and puffing. Blue flames pounced like the sun's corona around the flaming coat. Its heterochromatic eyes glowed and glared at the Kumo Shinobi.

Arasei trembled as the Nibi towered over them. She stared into its discolored, glowing eyes; each of which being the size of her, maybe even double that. The world shrunk as the hypnotic eyes of the Nibi—pierced her.

It was nowhere near her, yet she burned. Her soul, her body, her being felt as it was alight.

The Nibi narrowed its gaze on her specifically. "Uzumaki."

Its word vaporized Arasei with an otherworldly terror. Her heart beat as if it was going to explode. She couldn't help but step back—she wanted to run, she wanted to live.

Staying here was suicide.

Everyone leapt out of the way as the Nibi sent a cascade of cobalt blue flames careening out of its mouth. Bee's tentacles took the brunt of the impact, with wisps of fire flying over the sea of blood as Bee was knocked under.

Arasei shielded herself with her chains and leapt back. The tighter terror gripped her, the sharper she thought, the faster she moved. A cursed blessing from her bloodline…

A cursed blessing that saved her life from a meteor of cobalt blue flame.

"Black Lightning: Double Black Panthers!" Darui shouted as two bolts of black lightning shot from his blade, taking the shape of twin panthers sprinting toward the Nibi. It growled and pounced, crushing Darui's assault beneath a single paw as it landed on the bloody sea.

The blood boiled and popped from the Nibi's coat of fire. It growled and swung its tails as its flaming fur intensified at the rhythm of its breath, before dozens of adamantine chains wrapped around the Nibi's figure.

The Nibi's glare shot another infernal terror into Arasei. She barely felt alive as she matched the Bijuu's glare with her own. No life, no death, no love, no death. All she felt was fear.

A fear that empowered her.

The inferno that made up Nibi's body subsided ever so slightly. The Nibi sent wave after wave of fire shockwaving from its body. Arasei frantically wrapped herself in chains. Machia and Darui leapt into the air and sent a massive spear of blood that sparked with black lighting into the Nibi's hide.

It screeched as the blood spear ripped into its weakening coat of fire. Arasei sent more chains to trap the Nibi, further suppressing its power. With each horrific breath she took, her chains multiplied and squeezed tighter. The Nibi's coat was reduced to nothing but flickering flames, as Machia ran towards its head.

The Nibi closed its eyes, and took one deep, long breath… "Amaterasu," it said under its breath before the black flames of its fur roared and engulfed the environment in sheets of an obsidian-colored inferno.

"Everyone! Fall back!" Darui called as he bolted away from the incoming inferno, soon followed by Machia, and Arasei, who was forced to release her chains, returning the Nibi's full power.

It roared as the flames of Amaterasu raged around it. The Nibi growled, sending blaze after blaze of blue flames to vaporize all. Arasei looked back, and her heart dropped to her stomach. The Nibi towered over the hell it created; once majestic mountains wept with tears of molten rock that glowed a hellish orange.

Obsidian black and cobalt blue flames scorched the ashen rocks and burned over the boiling sea of blood as they screamed with the terror of a roaring inferno; the haze blackened with dulged ash, all illuminated with the cobalt blue glow of the Nibi's blazing fur.

"H-how the hell are we supposed to beat this… t-thing?!" Arasei stammered between hammering breaths.

Darui panted. "Lord Bee was supposed to be our main combatant."

"Where the hell is he then?!" Machia spat through the heave of her breath.

Arasei shook her head. "H-he was hit directly early on, so—"

Suddenly, a massive, purple arm sprouted from the boiling sea of blood, followed by another, then eight, massive purple tentacles flew wildly as they emerged from the scalding blood sea; finally, a purple ox's head and torso rose from the blood. Its blank, lavender eyes stared wildly at the Nibi.

Arasei's heart rate spiked even higher at the sight of the second monster. Another living embodiment of horror and power that little could ever hope to even hold a candle to. However, this one when it looked at her had no hate. It had a joyous look.

The look of… "Lord Killer Bee…" A relieved smile crossed her face.

Maybe their deaths weren't guaranteed after all.

Bee's form stared the Nibi directly in the eyes on equal, if not superior, footing. "Yo, Nibi! Imma need you to come back, or you gonna get whacked! With one of my tails, yo!"

"Hachibi…" the Nibi growled.

Bee's Hachibi form grinned. "It's Lord Hachibi to you, fool ya fool!"

The Nibi glared. "I care not for you, Jinchuriki!" it screamed as the inferno bellowed. "Hachibi! Is this how far you've fallen? To battle against your siblings for these humans?! Are you truly going to assist in my enslavement?!"

The Hachibi let the laugh of Killer Bee. "Damn right he is! Now, don't be a pissy little kitty and come back peacefully!"

Dozens of cobalt blue pillars of hellish proportions erupted. Arasei could barely shield herself—she screamed as the Nibi's flame burned her. The infernal roar was overshadowed by the furious cries of the beast controlling them.

The Hachibi's tentacles crushed the surrounding mountains with their wild swinging as black ink seeped from its skin; it huffed out of its oxen nose as it swung its horned head around.

The Nibi screeched and all fire in the area crawled toward the Nibi's open mouth. The Hachibi responded in kind by coalescing a ball of ink in its mouth. Both Bijuu clapped their mouths shut and fired a beam of their respective element at each other, clashing in a massive explosion that utterly evaporated the sea of blood.

The area was engulfed with steam, entirely shrouding the vision of Darui, Arasei, and Machia. The Nibi leapt onto the Hachibi's back, sinking its claws into its hide, before clamping its jaw on the Hachibi's head. Blood spewed, and the ox bellowed. It gripped the Nibi and slammed it into the smoldering brimstone below.

The Hachibi struggled to pin the Nibi as it kicked, swiped, and clawed at its flesh. Gallons of blood poured from its wounds and the hand it held the Nibi with smoked. The Nibi's eyes glowed as it became overtaken by flames and split into two. The Hachibi's hand crashed into the ground before two Nibis tackled the Hachibi into the ground.

"Dammit, yo!" Bee cursed as the two Nibis merged back into one, and charged up another blazing blast in its mouth. The Hachibi wrapped the Nibi its tentacles slammed it into the dirt once again.

The Hachibi shot bullets of ink at the Nibi and continued to pummel it into the dirt. "It's now or never, yo! Come suppress the Nibi and end this endeavor, yo!"

"Alright! Come on!" Machia shouted as she charged into battle alongside Darui.

Arasei took a deep breath, holding her charred arm. Pushing through the agony, she weaved hand seals before following them.

The Nibi ignited the ink around its fur and growled, and shot a blast of Amaterasu at the Hachibi. Its eyes widened as it quickly dodged out of the way, only to be met by the Nibi's paw, leaving a gash on the Hachibi's face. It gripped the Nibi's front legs and rammed it into the molten cliff face.

The Nibi screeched as it bit down on the Hachibi's neck. The two beasts wailed as they were locked in animalistic combat. Suddenly, a massive bolt of black lightning struck the Nibi directly in the eye. It hissed as its coat of flames roared; then torrents of blood washed over the Nibi, covering it in steam, and barely weakening its flames.

The Hachibi sprayed more ink onto the Nibi, as dozens and dozens upon dozens of chains wrapped around it. Adamantine gold choked it and restricted its limbs. Arasei panted as she slammed her glowing hands on the ground, sending a line of symbols to be extended towards the Nibi; once it made contact, all ink on the Nibi's coat transfigured into a massive sealing complex.

The Nibi cried and wailed as its once ethereal coat of obsidian onyx and cobalt lapis flames was degraded to pathetic black and blue embers. The Hachibi pummeled the Nibi's weakened form. "Hurry up and get this bitch packed up, yo!" Bee rapped. "I can only hold it for so much longer!"

Arasei nodded and pulled a jar with the kanji for "two" out of a puff of smoke on her wrist. She went through a long sequence of hand seals; once she finished, her hands glowed a bright, neon white. "Sealing Arts: Chakra Containment Seal!"

The Nibi lost its form and turned into a massive torrent of flame that Arasei directed into the jar. After a short while of struggling with the inferno, she finally sealed it into the jar, quickly closing it shut, and sealing the top on.

Arasei took a deep breath and flashed a tired and pained smile at the three. "W-we did it!"

"Wheeee!" Bee cheered as he detransformed from his Hachibi state. "Yeah yo! We packed up the Nibi, we out here looking peachy, my bed finna get squeaky, when I come home to my mistress!"

Machia shook her head. "You never fail to be enthusiastic, Lord Bee."

"It gets annoying sometimes," Darui said dryly, nursing his extensive burn wounds.

Arasei sighed. "I appreciate it, honestly."

"See Uzumaki, that's why you're my favorite, not like these other fools," Bee said, shaking his head.

Darui shook his head. "We should head back now."

"Agreed," Machia said.

Arasei picked up the jar and nodded. "Alright, I'm ready."

"Let's go, yo!" Bee cheered as he leapt away, followed by everyone else shortly after.

⁑ —ϟ— ⁑

The day after the battle, Arasei walked on the main street of Kumogakure, holding a sleeping Ka'rai. Her burned arm was wrapped in bandages… there would be scar for sure. The constant foggy cloud cover diluted the noon sun's rays as she walked through crowds aimlessly as if they weren't even there.

Arasei trembled as she carried Ka'rai in her arms. "I'm sorry, baby. Mama's so, so, sorry," she whispered softly.

Bangs fell on her forehead, obscuring her eyes as her face trembled. You're not sorry. Even if you had the choice, you'd still seal the Nibi inside of him. You let it happen to Kodaru. Why is your own son any different? she jided. "I-I'm sorry Ka'rai. I'm so, so, sorry, Ka'rai," she chanted, desperately ignoring the voice in her head..

Look at you! Look! You're not even trying to comfort him! You're trying to comfort yourself! You selfish—

"It's okay Ka'rai, it's okay, mama's here for you, mama's here for you," she said, louder than before. "It's okay, I'll protect you, I'll protect you no matter what," she lied.

Liar.

"I love you, Ka'rai."

Selfish.

"I love you so much, K-Ka'rai. You know that, right?"

If you loved him, then you should be the Jinchuriki.

"I know it's gonna hurt, but mama's here for you, okay baby?" she croaked.

You're pathetic.

"You're my entire world, Ka'rai!" she nearly screamed.

Aren't you supposed to protect the world you love?

"I'll always protect you, Ka'rai."

Liar!

Arasei wrapped Ka'rai in her arms, placing her chin over his shoulder, and wept silently as she embraced her son. The coolness of the fog-chilled her tears as she caressed Ka'rai's back. She drifted through the crowd, who were unbeknownst to her quiet cries.

Eventually, she stopped. The shadow of a massive stone cliff face towered over her. She took a deep breath before placing her palm against the cliff face. The rock shook and slid open. Arasei quickly slipped in before it slammed shut. Arasei steeled her nerves as she trekked down a long, torch-lit staircase.

She reached the bottom and saw Killer Bee, The Raikage, Darui, Machia, and a tanned bald man standing around a stone slab, with the jar the Nibi was sealed on a table next to them.

Arasei bowed. "G-greetings, Lords."

"Are you ready?" the Raikage asked sternly.

Arasei nodded. "Yes, Lord Raikage."

"I doubt that," the bald man chuckled.

Machia glared at him. "Lord Furachi, show some tact."

"Alright, my bad," he chuckled, putting his hands up defensively.

Arasei sighed shakily as she placed Ka'rai down on the slab. The infant began crying as the coldness of the hard slab chilled against his back. "I'm sorry, Ka'rai," she mumbled as she weaved a set of hand seals.

"Open the jar, please," Arasei stammered as her hands glowed.

Machia nodded and unsealed the jar, and a massive torrent of cobalt blue flames lit up the room.

"Sealing Arts: Eight Trigrams Seal!" she shouted as she grabbed a hold of the inferno with one hand, and placed her hand on Ka'rai's chest with the other. The kanji for iron was branded on the infant's chest as his cries intensified.

Arasei's face was struck with agony as she channeled the fire into the seal. Ka'rai wailed and screamed as the cobalt blue blaze burned into him. Arasei closed her eyes as Ka'rai continued to bawl. Eventually, the Nibi was completely sealed into Ka'rai, and Arasei made one final hand sign, completing the seal.

Arasei immediately picked up Ka'rai and consoled him. "It's okay baby, it's okay, mama's here, mama's here, don't cry anymore, you're safe now. Shh…."

The Kumo shinobi watched solemnly as Arasei comforted her son.

"I'm sorry, Uzumaki," Machia said. "I recently had a daughter of my own, and I can't imagine doing that to her. I'm so sorry that you had to."

Arasei bowed slightly. "No need for apologies. It's for the village."

"I commend your devotion to Kumo," the Raikage said. "I assure you that you'll be greatly rewarded for loyalty."

Arasei bowed again. "Thank you, Lord Raikage."

It's not like if you had the choice, things would've gone any differently.

Arasei winced, before looking Ka'rai in his eyes. His black irises shone with childish innocence as he looked desperately at his mother; his smooth, dark-skinned cheeks soiled with the trails of tears, his crimson hair covered in soot from the Nibi's flame. A single tear fell down Arasei's face as she looked at her son, Ka'rai…

Ka'rai Uzumaki of Kumogakure, Jinchuriki of the Nibi.

ϟ—Chapter End—ϟ